Bombers smarting after 19-9 loss to Riders

REGINA — A dejected Nic Demski sat in the locker room postgame, struggling to wrap his head around how such a promising play could turn into an utter disaster.

Down 16-9 with three minutes left against their Prairie rivals on the road, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers needed to score and it looked like they were going to do just that. Demski caught a pass from quarterback Zach Collaros past midfield and was sprinting towards the end zone when Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Jameer Thurman chased him down and threw an uppercut at the ball from behind to force a fumble.

The Riders recovered at their own 15-yard line before returning it 14 yards, and then marched the ball down the field to add a field goal to win the game 19-9.

The result drops the Bombers to 2-5, while Saskatchewan improves to 5-1.

Sayles not so sassy these days

REGINA — It was two years ago this month when former Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Marcus Sayles gave a headline-grabbing response when asked about his old club.

To set the scene, the Bombers were 4-0 but weren’t lighting up the scoreboard as they ranked fifth in the CFL in scoring. The B.C. Lions, who Sayles was playing for at the time, were 3-0 and had outscored their opponents 137-49.

“Right now they look like they’re a little vanilla,” said Sayles before that Week 5 showdown at BC Place.

“They’ve been skating away by little points, so we feel like we can beat them pretty bad.”

Bombers face revamped Riders team

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have won seven of their past eight meetings with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. But if early signs suggest anything, this rivalry might not be so one-sided moving forward.

Riders look to limit offensive opportunities as streaking Bombers visit Regina

REGINA - Moral victories have no value for Corey Mace and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Roughriders were handed their first defeat of the CFL season on July 13, dropping a 35-20 decision to the B.C. Lions in Vancouver. Saskatchewan allowed B.C. to rack up 457 yards of total offence but kept the game close thanks to a defence that had four sacks and two interceptions.

Although the Lions scored two touchdowns, the Riders defence played well in the red zone, forcing B.C. to kick seven field goals.

For Mace, Saskatchewan’s head coach and defensive co-ordinator, that just wasn’t enough. He said there are defensive adjustments to be made before the Roughriders host the rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday.

Bombers brace for the sound and the fury

Eric Lofton knows what’s coming. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers right tackle was on the other side of the Canadian Football League’s most spirited rivalry last season and understands the crowd at Mosaic Stadium could hit another decibel when Big Blue visits the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday (8:30 p.m CT).

Bombers’ defensive end pumped to take on Roughriders

TyJuan Garbutt wants to show the Winnipeg Blue Bombers he was worth the wait.

The unheralded defensive end from Fredericksburg, Va., is expected to suit up for the first time this season — and second time in his career — when the Bombers visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday (8:30 CT).

Garbutt, 25, was injured in training camp last spring and didn’t make his pro debut until the regular season finale when he registered one tackle against the Calgary Stampeders.

Entering this season, he was pegged to be a key cog in the Bombers’ rotation along the front four. That is until he went down again in pre-season action and was placed on the six-game injured list.

‘Big week’ for Blue Bombers against Prairie rival

There’s nothing quite like a tilt against your fiercest Prairie rival to get the juices flowing.

While Friday’s battle with the Saskatchewan Roughriders might not have the same hype around it as the Labour Day Classic or Banjo Bowl, there’s plenty on the line at Mosaic Stadium in what will be the first of three meetings.

While the Blue Bombers are feeling better about their lot in life after winning consecutive games after an 0-4 start, the Roughriders are 4-1 but coming off their first loss of the season — something new head coach Corey Mace said was a welcome development when he spoke to reporters after falling to the B.C. Lions.

“We’re obviously not happy with the losses that we’ve had, so we’ve tried to learn from those as much as we can. This is a great opportunity this week to kind of break that threshold,” said Blue Bombers guard Paddy Neufeld. “(A record of) 3-4 looks a lot better than 2-5. It’s a big week for us in that regard. (A win) would get us back one game out of second place and right back in the mix of it.”

Bombers’ Collaros keeps moving forward after slow start

As his scrum was winding down, Zach Collaros left a lasting nugget that offers some insight into why he’s become one of the best players at his position.

The franchise quarterback of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers had spent a good chunk of seven minutes on Monday afternoon assessing his performance through six games of the 2024 CFL season when a final question was delivered, asking if self criticism simply comes with the position he plays or is it more of a personal trait he’s embodied over the years?

“I’ve got buddies that tell me all the time that you’ve got to chill out on criticizing yourself,” Collaros said before making his way down the tunnel. “You’re offering these guys (in the media) criticisms for yourself.”

During his time at the controls of the Blue Bombers offence, Collaros hasn’t given members of the media too much ammunition when it comes to criticism.

Blue trending in right direction

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers did just enough to outduel the Calgary Stampeders, earning a much-needed victory in what turned out to be a West Division shootout at Princess Auto Stadium Friday night.

Once the dust settled, it was the Blue and Gold left standing, the thrilling 41-37 win improving Winnipeg’s record to 2-4. While there’s certainly more work to be done to get back to a respectable mark, the Bombers are trending in the right direction after a slow start, winners of back-to-back games after dropping their first four.

The Bombers trailed for much of the opening half, taking their first lead of the game just minutes before the break. They would fall behind again midway through the fourth quarter, only to mount a late touchdown drive to seal the victory.

The game saw the return of star quarterback Zach Collaros, who helped spark an attack that had been quiet for much of the year. Collaros and the offence posted a season-high 444 yards of net offence and 25 points.

Wilson shines in breakout performance, leading Bombers to thrilling win

It was one of the most competitive job openings in training camp.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers brought in over a dozen American rookie receivers to fill a hole in their starting line-up and Florida State product Ontaria Wilson emerged as the winning candidate.

But through the first five games, the 24-year-old from Ashburn, Ga., failed to show why he was the chosen one. Even with injuries to star pass catchers Kenny Lawler and Dalton Schoen, Wilson was an afterthought in the offence with just eight catches for 85 yards on 14 targets.

And then Friday night happened.

Big Blue bounce Stampeders

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are officially on a roll.

While it wasn't the most consistent of performances, with plenty of good and bad in all three phases, the Bombers did just enough to earn a 41-37 shootout victory in front of 29,467 fans on a sweltering Friday night at Princess Auto Stadium.

Winnipeg has now won back-to-back games after losing its first four, bringing its record to 2-4. The four-point victory also gives the Bombers the season-series, despite finishing 1-1, by points differential, as the Stampeders earned the first game by three points.

Calgary dropped to 2-3 with the loss.

Zach back to helm Blue and Gold attack

There’s nothing pretty about a 1-4 record.

Last week, however, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers looked like a team that’s capable of digging itself out of a hole with an impressive 25-16 win at home against the Ottawa Redblacks.

The club can further cement that notion Friday against the visiting Calgary Stampeders when the two West Division foes meet at 7:30 p.m.

The Stamps got the best of the Blue and Gold at McMahon Stadium two weeks ago in a 22-19 overtime thriller.

Bombers late draft choice starting at DE against Stampeders

It was the eighth and final round of the 2024 CFL Draft and Owen Hubert was still waiting for his phone to ring.

Things looked so bleak his parents started switching off the lights in the house to get ready for bed when finally, around midnight, the defensive end out of McMaster University was selected by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 73rd overall — the second-last pick of the draft.

“Quite frankly, it was disappointing. I thought ‘OK, so be it, I’m gonna be an undrafted guy and I’m gonna go earn a spot.’ Well, sure enough, Winnipeg comes up and my name pops up — we had it on the TV — and everyone was ecstatic, and we were jumping up and down,” Hubert said after Thursday’s walkthrough.

“My brother made a comment ‘You know what, if you’re gonna go second last, you could’ve gone last and made it that much more cool.’”

Blue Bombers running backs going to the dogs

Brady Oliveira isn’t the only Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back who has a passion for furry, four-legged friends.

Rookie Chris Smith — the team’s return specialist who is also the No. 3 tailback on the depth chart — has been breeding American bully dogs since his time at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

“I actually got a pit bull when I was in elementary. We moved to a new house and the first week I had him, somebody stole him when he was just a puppy… We moved out of that house pretty quickly after that,” said Smith, a Mississippi native, after Wednesday’s closed practice. “I just have a love for dogs, man. When I got to college, I figured out what a true American bully was, so I went out and bought one… But now, I have an even better one and she’s full of muscle. The shorter the dog, the more muscle it can carry and it’s beautiful.”

The American bully is a companion dog that shares some ancestry with pit bulls and bulldogs. They’re controversial, as their strength and potential for aggression has led to them being banned or restricted in some areas and countries. If raised and trained correctly, they’re friendly and extremely loyal, but they are prohibited in Winnipeg as they have a similar appearance and physical characteristics as pit bulls.